NOTES ON PELAGIC CATCH. 223 
PELAGIC SEAL CATCHES, 1868 TO 1897. 
AUTHORITIES FOR FIGURES USED IN FOREGOING TABLE. 
[In quoting from Fur-Seal Arbitration Papers the first edition is always referred to.] 
'Fur-seal Arbitration. App. to U. S. Case, vol. 1, p. 591. 
2Catches for years 1868 to 1879, inclusive, is made up of Northwest coast catches (Fur-Seal 
Arbitration; British Commissioners’ Report, p. 207 et seq.); Indian canoe catches (British 
Commissioners’ Report, pp. 207, 208), and skins obtained through the Hudson Bay Company’s trading 
stations (British Commissioners’ Report, p. 213). 
3Catches of pelagic sealers and Indian canoes (British Commissioners’ Report, pp. 207, 208), and 
returns from Hudson Bay Company’s posts (British Commissioners’ Report, p. 213). : 
4San Francisco custom-house records: Deputy Collector Jerome’s letters of February 26 et seq., 
1892, on filein Treasury Department. 
5 Catch of schooner City of San Diego (British Commissioners’ Report, p. 208). 
6Catches of pelagic sealers in North Pacitic and Bering Sea (British Commissioners’ Report, p. 
209), and returns from Hudson Bay Company’s posts (British Commissioners’ Report, p. 213). 
7 Catches in North Pacific from all sources (British Commissioners’ Report, pp. 210, 213). 
8 Marketed catches from Bering Sea (British Commissioners’ Report, p. 210) plus 2,000 skins seized 
on schooners Onward, Thornton, Carolina, and San Diego (H. H. McIntyre’s manuscript report to Alaska 
Commercial Company, a copy of which isin possession of Department). 
9 British commissioner’s estimated catch of American vessels in all localities (British Commissioners’ 
Report, p. 212). 
10 North Pacifie catches (British Commissioners’ Report, pp. 210, 213). 
Marketed catches from Bering Sea (British Commissioners’ Report, p. 210) plus 8,910 skins 
seized in Bering Sea and unaccounted for by British commissioners; 11,901 skins were seized that 
year (United States Counter Case, p. 337), and the British commissioners, on page 210 of their report, 
account for 2,991 of them. 
12North Pacific catches (British Commissioners’ Report, pp. 211, 213). 
13 Bering Sea catches (British Commissioners’ Report, pp. 211, 212). 
14 North Pacific catches (British Commissioners’ Report, pp. 211, 213). 
56 This figure, 27,450, is the sum of the figures 22,530 and 4,920, the origin of which will be found 
under note 16. The British commissioners, on page 18 of their report, give the approximate total catch 
as 68,000. 
'6In a letter from the British foreign office to the Secretary of State, dated May 17, 1895, the 
Bering Sea catch of British vessels for 1891 is quoted at 29,146, Ithas been found by this Department 
that these figures represent the total catch in Bering Sea—thatis, including seals killed off the western 
side, in Russian waters, aa well as off the eastern side, which afterwards became the award area, This 
is borne out by the fact that it appears by the British case before the tribunal at Paris that 41 vessels 
were warned out of the American side of Bering Sea between June 29 and August 15, 1891, under the 
modus vivendi of June 15 of that year. It is certain that many of these vessels crossed over to the 
Russian side of Bering Sea and continued sealing until the close of the season. 
Statistics made by Mr. Alfred Fraser, now in possession of the Treasury Department, show that 
8,432 skins were thus taken on the western side of Bering Sea in Russian waters. Ofthese, 6,616 were 
taken by British vessels and 1,816 by American vessels. We should, therefore, deduct from the British 
figures (29,146) the sum of 6,616, leaving 22,530 as the British catch in the award area—that is, the 
eastern side of Bering Sea—for the year 1891. 
It further appears from Mr. Fraser’s figures that the American catch in Bering Sea in 1891 was 
6,736, of which 1,816 were taken in Russian waters and 4,920 in the award area. Adding to tho 
corrected British catch, 22,530, the catch of the American vessels, 4,920, we have 27,450 as the total 
catch of British and American vessels in that part of Bering Sea known as the award area for the 
year 1891. 
In the report of the Committee on Ways and Means to accompany H. R. 8909, Fifty- third Congress, 
third session, Report No, 1849, the catch in Bering Sea for the year 1891 was given as 23,041, on the 
authority of the Treasury Department. These figures included only the returns of British reac, as 
no reliable returns as to American vessels were then in the possession of the Department. The result 
was reached by deducting from the estimate given by Consul Meyers in his report (United States 
counter case), 28,605, a number of skins estimated to have been taken off the Russian coast. This 
